Cirque Éloize bringing a new style of circus to Wilmington's DuPont Theatre

Cirque Éloize, which is visiting the DuPont Theatre in Wilmington through Oct. 6 with its newest production ‘Cirkopolis,” features a circus style that puts its emphasis on choreography, music, athleticism and theatrics.

While this might sound a lot like another touring circus from Montreal with a similar name, Cirque Éloize is not a spinoff or a copy of Cirque du Soleil. Actually, Cirque Éloize was the first. It was formed in 1993 in Quebec by Jeannot Painchaud.

“Cirkopolis,” which combines the worlds of circus, dance and theatre, is set in the heart of a cold-natured city. It is an imposing city with giant gears and dark portals symbolizing a mechanism that crushes individuality.

The show features an inventive stage design and is accompanied by an original musical score and video projections. The 12 acrobats and multidisciplinary artists in the cast rebel against monotony. They reinvent themselves and challenge the limits of the “factory-city.”

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The production is a blend of urban life and a variety of different circus arts, including juggling, contortion, Cyr wheel, hand balancing, straps, aerial silks and banquine.

According to Painchaud, “Cirkopolis” was imagined as a crossroads between imagination and reality, between individuality and community and between limits and possibilities -- that entering “Cirkopolisis” is all about letting go and allowing yourself to be lifted by hope.

One of the main performers is Samuel Charlton, a native of Leicester, England, who performs with his British partner Ruben Hosler.

“I am what we call a base,” said Charlton, during a phone interview. “I catch and throw people -- and hold them up in the air. I also do a lot of other things. We have a small cast so we all dance, act and do different kinds of disciplines.

“I’ve been with the show just over a year. I was in the cast when the show started in September 2012 and was part of the creation of the show. In the show, I also do juggling, teeterboard, the German Wheel and banquine.”

When Charlton was growing up in the U.K., he competed at the international level in judo. Then, he turned his focus to the circus world.

“I went to a physical theater school in Bristol (England) when I was 17,” said Charlton. “Then, I went to a circus school in Paris for three years and then spent three more years at the National Circus School in Montreal.

“My main discipline is hand-to-hand. My partner in the show Ruben Hosler and I went to all three schools together. We’ve been working together now for over nine years.”

This production faces more challenges than similar tent or arena productions.

“This show plays in theaters and the small stage is one of the main challenges,” said Charlton. “But, it makes it interesting when we have to adjust to the size of the stage and the height in the stage area. It’s fun. It keeps you sharp because things change all the time.”